I'm from Washington, DC (now living in Florida), and all my life have wanted to join the U.S. Navy. But now I'd like to join the USCG. Not only do I want to help the country, but to work around lighthouses. I meet someone the other day that 20 years ago, had lived at Cove Point, MD lighthouse for 2 years. She had also lived and worked at many other lighthouses. Does anyone know anything about how the USCG uses lighthouses today?

To the best of my knowledge not many lighthouses have personnel living at them anymore. The only 2 I can think of that are still used by the Coast Guard are Oak Island, NC and Boston, MA. Usually, Coast Guard personnel regularily visit stations (not just lighthouses) to service their equipment.

A Coast Guard family also lives at Annisquam Harbor Light in Gloucester. I would think the future would see LESS Coast Guard activity than anything else. They're appearing to "get out of the business" of lighthouses.

I stand corrected on the "New Cape Henry" light. The military family that now occupies the 2-story frame keeper's residence is an Army family....not Coast Guard.
Apparently the last CG family to occupy the dwelling was about 12 years ago.
Ross is correct, the CG is trying to get out of the LH business as fast as possible. Even the Oak Island Light that Zack mentioned has been turned over to the town of Caswell for future responsibility, even though it is located on an active CG base. The CG will continue to maintain the beacon but Caswell will/has assumed all other responsibility.

Pharoslvr wrote:Ross is correct, the CG is trying to get out of the LH business as fast as possible. Even the Oak Island Light that Zack mentioned has been turned over to the town of Caswell for future responsibility, even though it is located on an active CG base. The CG will continue to maintain the beacon but Caswell will/has assumed all other responsibility.

Brent

I wish they'd turn over Lights that need attention by a group, like West Sister Island or Poverty Island.

....such is the case here in Virginia where you have Smith Point, Wolftrap, Thimble Shoals and Newport News Middle Ground going on the open auction block, soon, because no one wants to assume the responsibility of maintaining them as required by the LH Preservation Act of 2000.

What makes this even more confusing is that all Virginia Lights come come under the preservation "guise" of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter, U.S. Lighthouse Society. It is interesting that the chapter stepped forward to gain control of Thomas Point (MD), a couple of years ago, but apparently wants to have nothing to do with any of the above mentioned lights, now.

It is a case of managing resources. Just because a group takes on one lighthouse in their so called target area of interest, does not mean they have the financial or volunteer means to take on more than one project at once. Historical preservation a long way from being easy or cheap to accomplish.

In the case of Thomas Point versus the other Chesapeake Lights up for grabs, I'd pick Thomas Point over the others anyday if I could only pick 1 to save first. Just how many cottage style screw pile lights are left off shore?

And sometimes, there may not be enough people in a particular area to get a group to adopt a lighthouse. And I'm sure with a lot of the more remote lightstations, the same could happen.

Very true, some of the harder to reach lights are rotting away, like Poverty Island, MI, because there's no one to pick up the ball and run with it. From what I understand the USCG is begging to get rid of some of these.

As for entering the USCG to live at a lighthouse, chances are pretty slim. But I think that it would still be a great branch of service to go into. If you decide to go through with it, I wish you all the luck in the world.

I fully understand that, Shirin. No one expects the chapter to pick up the tab on any of the lights mentioned, however, they haven't done a thing towards promoting the fate of these lights to locals, or anyone else for that matter. In the 2+ years that it became known that those 4 lights would become surplus they have, in essence, done nothing to increase the interest/awareness levels to the public.
A leadership role towards promoting these lights would be nice, for a change